


Talk About It

by AdenineTopaz



Category: Bendy and the Ink Machine
Genre: AU, Aftergame, Angst, Comfort, Lots of dialogue, M/M, Nightmare, Sad, Talking, really weird au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-17
Updated: 2019-08-17
Packaged: 2020-09-06 07:41:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 658
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20287861
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AdenineTopaz/pseuds/AdenineTopaz
Summary: Sometimes it’s better just to let the person talk about it.





	Talk About It

**Author's Note:**

> this takes place in an after-game au where basically nobody had to die and they all escaped the studio and live on the surface. let me have my happy au.

Norman was vaguely aware of his surroundings. Many things were blurry, covered in black patches. When he looked down he saw nothing but black, like he was standing in a tar pit. The ink he stood in felt like it was pulling him down, and that made him walk. He walked and walked, but didn’t seem to be getting anywhere, like he was in a maze. Projectors were displaying cartoons on the walls, and every once in a while he would stop to watch them, but then that feeling of being pulled down would return, and he started wandering again.

He felt...different. His head was filled with film instead of a mind. Had he felt this feeling before?

And just as he was about to ponder on that, he was awake.

Norman sat up quickly, his light flickering on. He looked around the room, seeing no signs of Level 14, but his own room instead. He looked to his left to see Sammy had hogged most of the blanket and was sleeping on the other side of the bed. The Projectionist was shaking at this point, and he reached forward and touched Sammy’s shoulder.

Sammy jumped and his eyes snapped open, and he looked at Norman, only to cover his face and say, “Damn, can you turn the light down?”

Norman dimmed his light. “Sorry...”

Sammy sat up and rubbed his eyes. “Why did you wake me up?”

Norman was silent for a moment. “I had a nightmare...”

Sammy looked at him. “About what?”

“L-Level 14...being there, stuck there...it was—“ Norman covered his lens with one hand and looked away as he started to sob.

Sammy’s eyes widened. He pulled Norman into a hug and laid back down, his head resting on his chest. “Hey, it’s alright. It was just a dream.” he said quietly.

“It was also real at one point.” mumbled Norman.

“Yeah, it was. But you’re not there anymore. You’re safe now, with me and Henry and all your friends.” replied the corrupted human, running his fingers lightly over the vents on Norman’s projector.

Norman covered his lens again and curled into a ball, tears trailing down onto Sammy’s chest.

“Dammit, Sammy, I know! I _know_ I’m safe now, I _know_ I have all my friends, but it’s just—it sticks with me, y’know??” he cried. “Wandering those ink pools for decades, killing any creature I came into contact with, like an animal, being _mindless...”_

He paused for a second. “God, being mindless...that was the worst part of it. Imagine just fucking snapping and then losing everything for years. I’m glad you and Henry helped me get my memory back, but...it still hurts.” He shuddered.

Sammy was quiet for a long time. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to brush off anything, or make anything seem unimportant.”

“It’s okay, I know that wasn’t your intention. I’m just really...frustrated.” sighed the Projectionist.

“About what?”

“That I’m stuck with this. Not just this body, but with whatever I can remember of Level 14. It...haunts me. It was a terrible place, like a prison. I was left alone in there, and I didn’t even have any thoughts to be left alone _with._ It was the worst.” explained Norman. “And I just...”

He whimpered. “...I don’t want to have these memories. I don’t want to be like this.”

“I understand. I have memories from the studio I don’t like, either.” said Sammy.

“I think we all do. That place was a hellhole.”

“Yeah.”

Sammy pulled the blanket up to cover the both of them and Norman wrapped his arms around him. He then wiped his tears away and kissed him underneath the lens.

“Maybe talk to Henry about this in the morning, too?” he suggested.

“Yeah.” Norman paused. “Thank you. You didn’t say much but sometimes...it’s better to let the person just talk about it.”

Sammy smiled a little. “You’re welcome, Norman.”

**Author's Note:**

> holy shit it’s been over a YEAR since i’ve posted something on here?? yeah i’ve had what you could call Epic Writer’s Block but now i’ve finally got an idea i can write lmao
> 
> this is shorter than i would like it but It’s Something


End file.
